Egbert eobinson



(No Model.)

B. ROBINSON. MAGHINBAFOR WASHING GOAL, 8w.

1%. 344,545. Patented June 29, 188 6.

ATTORNEYS.

N PETERS Fllotoixllmgmphnr. Washinglnn. D. l2v

tiisrTnn STaThs PATENT l l llCEt ROBERT ROBINSON, OF HOVVLISH HALL, NEARBISHOP-AUCKLAND, COUNTY OF DURHAM, ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR ASl-HNG COAL, @410.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent; No. 34:4:545, dated June29, 1886.

Application filed January 20, 1886. Serial No. 189,234. (No model.)Patented in England April 25, 1884, No. 6,789; in France January 6,1886, No. 173,363, and in Belgium January 7, 1886, No. 71,520.

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT ROBINSON, of Howlish Hall, nearBishop-Auckland, in the county of Durham, England, mining engineer, haveinvented a new and useful Machine for WVashing Goal or other Minerals,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a machine for effecting the separation ofstone, dirt, and other impurities from coal or other minerals by thedifference of their specific gravities, the operation being performed bythe immersion of the coal or other mineral in water in a conicalhopper-like vessel, through which a constant upward flow of water ismaintained, the coal being floated or carried off and the impuritiesleft behind, the vessel being provided with an agitator .to facilitatethe separation and precipitation of the impurities, and also providedwith inlets for the water at the lower part, and with means ofdischarging the impurities without interrupting the operation of thewashing-machine, all as hereinafter de scribed and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 isan elevation, partly in section, of the complete machine; and Fig. 2 isa plan of the washing-vessel, showing the stirrer.

A is the washing-vessel in the form of an in verted frustum of a cone.It is constructed ofiron plate, and its sides are perforated all roundat the lower part with numerous rows of small'holes a, the perforatedportion being inclosed by an annular casing or hollow ring, B, formingan annular water-space in communication with the interior of the vesselA by the holes a. This water-ring B is in connection by one or morepipes, b, (according to the size of the machine,) with a cistern, pump,or other source of watersupply, and the water supplied therefrom to thewaterring B passes through the orifices a into the vessel A andoverflows at the top, a constant ascending current being maintained.

The lower mouth of vessel A is in connection with a lock-chamber, 0,closed at top and bottom, respectively, by slides or doors c 0 5ooperated by levers or other suitable means, so

that on drawing out the upper slide, 0, the impurities which havesettled down upon it fall into the lock-chamber O, whence they aredischarged into wagons beneath by first closing or pushing in the upperslide, 0, and then opening the lower slide, 0", the refuse being thusdischarged without interrupting the work ing of the washer.

D is a vertical shaft, mounted in suitable bearings and turning in thevessel A, at its lower part, on which shaft are mounted radial arms E,to which are fixed iron blades 0, which dip down to the sides of thewasher, and by their revolution with the shaft agitate the water and theminerals being washed and facilitate the separation of the impurities,which settle down at the bottom of the vessel A. A second set of arms,6, are fixed to the bottom end of the shaft and project down nearly tothe bottom of the vessel'for same purpose.

Shaft D may be driven directly by a small engine on the frame, or bybelt or other gear from any suitable motor.

The coals or other minerals to be washed are fed in at t-he top of thewasher through a chute, F, provided with a regulating-slide, f. Anoverflow-chute, G, at the opposite side of the washer, receives thewashed coal, &c., which is floated over the top edge of the vessel A bythe overflowing water, the former being discharged by the chuteintowagons and the latter being received in a cistern, l-I, placedimmediately beneath a part of the chute G, which is constructed ofwire-work, and over which the coal passes on its descent, while thewater runs through it into the cistern for use again.

Having now particularly described and pointed out the nature of the saidinvention and in what manner the sameis to be operated, I declare thatwhat I claim isl. A machine for separating impurities from coal andother minerals by the difference of their specific gravities, and by anascending current of water, consisting oila conical hopper-shapedvessel, A, furnished with inlets for water near the bottom, awater-ring, B, sur rounding and inclosing said inlets, a lockchamber, G,slides 0. c beneath the vessel A, for withdrawing theimpurities withoutinterrupting the action of the machine, and a stirrer, D, rotatingwithin the vessel A, for facilitating the separation of the coal, &c.,from the impurities, substantially as shown and described.

2. Amachineforseparatingimpurities from coal and other minerals by thedifierence of their specific gravities, and by an ascending current ofwater, consisting of the conical hopper-like vessel A, havinginlet-orifices a near the bottom, the water-ring B, the lock-chamber O,the slides c 0 in the upper and lower ROBERT ROBINSON.

Witnesses: .R. D. PROUD,

8017a, BishopAuckZand, T. H. NELsON,

Law Student, Bishop-Auckland.

